⛪️This Week In History - Pope Benedict XVI Steps In

Welcome back History Nerds,

Hope you had a good Easter, and if you don’t celebrate, then we hope you had a nice and relaxing weekend. We’ve got an exciting week in history to cover, from Benedict XVI becoming the new pope and later resigning, to the day the construction of the Suez Canal began. You are not going to want to miss out on this one, so make sure you read all the way until the end and let us know how we can improve by responding to this email!

Did You Know? On April 5, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it illegal to own gold. Americans had to turn in their coins, bars, and even gold certificates to the government—or face up to 10 years in prison. Why? To stabilize the economy during the Great Depression.

During Your History Lesson You’ll Learn About:

• From Cardinal to Command Center: Pope Benedict XVI Steps In

• Danica Patrick Becomes The First Girl To Win An IndyCar Race

• The Start Of Construction On The Suez Canal

• The Day the Loch Ness Monster

From Cardinal to Command Center: Pope Benedict XVI Steps In

On April 24, 2005, Joseph Ratzinger officially became Pope Benedict XVI during a big, tradition-packed mass in St. Peter’s Square. He was stepping into some pretty big shoes—John Paul II had just wrapped up one of the longest and most influential papacies in history. Ratzinger, a German-born theologian and longtime Vatican insider, had already been known as a powerful voice in the Church. Now, he was center stage, wearing the white robes and waving to a crowd of thousands while the world watched.

Benedict was no stranger to the job. Before becoming pope, he led the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which basically made him the Vatican’s top watchdog for church teachings. He was seen as a strong defender of tradition, which earned him both fans and critics. His papacy was expected to steer the Church in a more conservative direction—think less guitar mass, more Latin.

What made Benedict’s time unique was how it ended: in 2013, he shocked everyone by becoming the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign, citing his age and health. It was a rare move in a job that usually ends only one way. But on that spring day in 2005, none of that was on anyone’s mind. It was all about the start of a new chapter in Vatican history—and a quiet, bookish theologian stepping into the world’s biggest spiritual spotlight.

The First Woman to Win an IndyCar Race

On April 20, 2008, Danica Patrick floored it into history, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race at the Indy Japan 300 in Motegi, Japan. Behind the wheel of her No. 7 Andretti Green Racing car, she outmaneuvered a field of seasoned male drivers, crossing the finish line after 200 laps of pure grit. This wasn’t just a win—it was a barrier-smashing moment in a sport long dominated by men, and Patrick, then 26, proved she could hang with the best.

The Twin Ring Motegi oval was no easy track, with its tight turns and relentless pace. Patrick started in sixth, kept her cool through fuel strategy and pit stops, and seized the lead late when Hélio Castroneves pitted. With the crowd roaring, she held off challengers over the final laps, clocking a winning time of just under two hours. She edged out the competition by just 5.8594 seconds—a heartbeat in racing terms. As she hopped out of her car, ripped off her helmet, and flashed a triumphant smile, the weight of it landed: she’d shattered a glass ceiling in motorsport.

The Formation of the Suez Canal

On April 25, 1859, picks and shovels hit the dirt to start building the Suez Canal, a wild idea to link the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Spearheaded by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, this wasn’t just digging a ditch—it was a gutsy move to slash thousands of miles off global trade routes. Out in the Egyptian desert, workers began carving a path that would change how ships moved from Europe to Asia.

The setup was brutal—scorching sun, endless sand, and a 100-mile stretch of nothing. De Lesseps, armed with a concession from Egypt’s ruler and French engineering know-how, rallied thousands of laborers, mostly local fellahin, to start the grunt work. No fancy machines yet; this was sweat, muscle, and sheer will, hacking through dunes to create a waterway wide enough for ships. The Suez Canal, when finished in 1869, cut travel time for ships hauling spices, silk, and ideas between East and West. It wasn’t smooth sailing—disease, heat, and political squabbles dogged the project—but that first shovel strike set it in motion. De Lesseps’ big bet paid off, and the canal’s still a lifeline for global trade, proof of what stubborn vision can do.

The Day the Loch Ness Monster Broke the News

On April 21, 1934, the Daily Mail printed a grainy black-and-white photo that appeared to show a long neck rising from Loch Ness—and just like that, the Loch Ness Monster went from Scottish folklore to international obsession. The image was credited to a respectable London surgeon, giving it an air of credibility, and it quickly became known as the “surgeon’s photograph.” Newspapers ran wild, believers had a field day, and Nessie-mania took off faster than you can say "cryptid."

For decades, the photo was treated like the holy grail of sea monster sightings. But in the 1990s, the truth surfaced: it was all a hoax, cooked up with a toy submarine and a plastic head by a group of pranksters—one of whom wanted revenge on the Daily Mail for mocking his earlier Nessie claims. So yes, the world’s most “credible” monster photo was really the aquatic version of a middle finger.

Still, the legend lives on. Nessie became a tourism magnet, a pop culture icon, and a reminder that sometimes, we just really want to believe in something mysterious. Hoax or not, people still stare at that lake, hoping she’ll pop up and prove us wrong. Because deep down, most of us are still rooting for the monster.

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